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“Nice boat.” Maddock admired the sleek lines of the cabin cruiser Tam had secured for them. The helicopter pilot had dropped them at the coast, not far from Bodmin, where one of Tam’s agents, a tall, dark-haired man who introduced himself as Greg, had been waiting for them. They were now headed north along the coastline.
“Glad you like it. Your boy, Jimmy, came through for us about two minutes after you jumped. He’s got a location for the map Avery found, and he’s working on something else that I’ll tell you about after you finish the next job.” She tilted her head and looked thoughtfully up at the cloudy sky. “He’s pretty good. You think he’d come to work with us?”
The word “us” gave Maddock pause. He still wasn’t accustomed to the idea that he and his crew would soon be working for Tam.
“Doubt it. He’s not the type, but I think we could count on him for some freelance work here and there.”
“You don’t give classified information to a hired hand, Maddock,” Tam sighed. “Lord have mercy, I’ve got so much to teach you.”
Maddock smiled, leaned against the bow rail, and gazed at the dark water up ahead, feeling the cool salt spray on his face and breathing deep of the sea air. He thought of Angel, down below, nursing her wounds, and Avery, who had narrowly avoided capture just the day before. Was it worth risking their safety just to track down a treasure?
“Do you think we should hand things over to the authorities?”
“You don’t really mean that,” Tam chided. “This is your family’s quest. Your daddy passed it down to you and your sister. Besides, I know enough about you to know you never leave a job unfinished.”
“But what about Angel and Avery?”
“Don’t worry about them. I already offered to fly them both back home but they wouldn’t hear of it.”
“I figured as much. I just don’t want them to pay the price for my hubris.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “I lost my wife and my parents in a very short time...”
“And now you’re in love, and you’ve got a family again, and you’re afraid of losing them,” Bones said, dropping to the deck alongside him.
“I didn’t know you were there.”
“No one expects the Cherokee Inquisition.” Bones made a face, and then grew serious. “Listen to me, Maddock. Until this mystery is solved, none of our group are safe. They’d kidnap us like they did Angel in order to get information, or they’d kill us to shut us up. You know that. We’ve been in situations like this before.”
Maddock nodded. He’d had the same thoughts.
“Another thing. When I was growing up, my grandfather didn’t spend a lot of time telling me what I should and shouldn’t do. He taught me what it meant to be a Bonebrake. He said every family has something they stand for, and a set of values they live by. That’s what holds them together. And that doesn’t just go for blood relatives.”
Maddock thought he knew what Bones was getting at. Their crew was a family, and their dedication, their courage, and their commitment to one another was what gave them their identity.
“And don’t forget the Dominion,” Tam said. “Even if Morgan was out of the picture, they’re still out there. And if they want to get their hands on whatever we’re going to find, it’s important enough for us to get there first.”
“Understood. So, are you going to tell us where we’re headed next?”
“Tintagel Castle.”
Maddock frowned. The ruins of Tintagel Castle stood atop high cliffs on the peninsula of Tintagel Island in Cornwall. Legend held it to be the birthplace of King Arthur, and a nearby coastal cave was known as Merlin’s Cave.
“That can’t be right. It’s a popular tourist destination and it’s been thoroughly excavated. Plus, it’s in Morgan’s backyard. She has to have already searched it.”
“Oh, it’s not in the castle, it’s under it. Way under it. Now, you boys go down below and get your speedos on. We’ll be there in a few minutes and you’ve got work to do.”
Twenty minutes later, he and Bones were suited up in full diving gear, and standing on deck in the shadow of Tintagel Island. They were anchored in a sheltered area between the island and another peninsula to the east. He had to hand it to Tam. She worked fast.
“All right,” Tam said. “The entrance should be underwater between those two rocks.” She pointed to two huge rock formations poking out of the water. “It’s got to be well below the low tide mark, or else someone would have found it by now.”
Maddock and Bones exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing. What if someone had already found it?
“Don’t you make that face,” Tam scolded. “The map shows a channel that runs straight west. The only clue we have is, Walk in the Way of Sorrows.”
“Great,” Bones said. “We’re looking for an emo treasure.”
Tam checked her watch.
“We’ve got plenty of daylight, but don’t dally. Once you’re in the water, we’re going to head up the coast. We don’t want to draw undue attention. Call us when you’re out, and be careful.”
Angel and Avery hugged Maddock and Bones in turn, and Willis complained about the lack of a third set of diving gear. Matt, who had taken over the helm, guided them as close as he dared to the stones shown on the map, and Maddock and Bones dived in.
“Report,” Morgan snapped as Locke entered the room. She seemed to have recovered her faculties and energy, though the cuts and bruises on her face bore testimony to the damage she’d taken.
Jacob had not bounced back so quickly. He’d sustained a severe blow to the head when Maddock, or one of his men, had crept up on him from behind just as he was about to set the dragons on the Bonebrake girl. He still attended Morgan, as always, but he seemed detached. Probably a mild concussion.
“I planted a tracking device on the girl while she was sedated. I sent two men to follow them.”
“Only two?” Neither her tone nor her expression betrayed her feelings, but he knew she disapproved.
“We’ve been decimated here. Worse than decimated, in fact. They only killed a few of our men, but too many have sustained serious injuries.” He stopped there. Morgan knew what she had to do, and she wouldn’t thank him for telling her how to respond to present circumstances.
“Of the losses we’ve sustained, how many are essential to our plans for the Queen’s visit?” She raised her eyebrows as she said the last word.
“Only a few. SO14 is the critical piece, and our people have been in place there for years.” SO14 was the branch of Special Operations that provided protection for the Royal Family, and several of its members were loyal to Morgan and the Sisters.
“Very well. Are you tracking Maddock right now?”
“Of course. They appear to be headed to Tintagel Castle.”
Morgan threw back her head and laughed. It was a rare display of amusement from the stolid woman.
“Tintagel? They must not have the third map, or else they would not be wasting their time. The castle has been thoroughly excavated.”
Locke nodded, though he lacked Morgan’s confidence. Maddock had already surprised him too many times for Locke to underestimate him.
“In any case, our men will keep us apprised of the situation.”
Locke nodded again. With so many of his men out of commission, he’d been forced to send two of his younger, more enthusiastic charges. He’d given them clear instructions, but worried they’d overextend themselves by trying to be heroes.
“Most of our remaining men will need to remain here to clean up the damage and prepare for the event. How large is Maddock’s party?”
“Seven, that we know of, including the women. At least, as far as we know. Four of them ex-military.”
“Seven. A number of power, but fitting somehow. Even better, it is a number we can easily overcome, with help.” Morgan struck the desk once with her open palms and rose to her feet. She turned toward the wall where “Le Morte D’Arthur” hung, and gazed almost lovingly at the image. “The time has come. Summon the Sisters, and tell them each to bring their seven best men. We will follow Maddock, and be prepared to strike at any moment.”
“Seven of our own men as well?”
“In addition to you and Jacob, I want four reliable men.” She turned to face him, the ghost of a smile on her face. “And bring Mordred.”
The water was cool and the dull sunlight shone gray-green beams into the depths. As Maddock swam deeper, the two stones converged, leaving a space between them not much wider than a chimney. He followed it to the bottom, which was not as deep as he’d expected, and found nothing. Undeterred, he began digging in the loose sand, and soon exposed a portion of the rock face that was unnaturally smooth and even.
Bones lent a hand and, within minutes, they found what they were looking for—a stone circle carved with a Templar cross. Working together, they turned it until it gave way. The stone rolled out of sight, exposing a dark tunnel. Maddock turned on his dive light and swam inside.
The passageway dropped straight down for twenty feet, then made a sharp right angle and, as Tam had said, led west, back toward Tintagel Island. They swam through the featureless tunnel until it took a sharp bend upward and then, thirty feet up, they broke the surface and emerged in an underground cave, facing two stone doors.
Each had a circle and cross stone where a doorknob should be, and each depicted a scene from Jesus’ life. The door on the left showed a nativity scene. The door on the right showed Jesus struggling to carry the cross to his crucifixion.
“I know which one looks like sorrow,” Bones said.
Maddock contemplated the doors. What was it about the Way of Sorrows that rang a bell? He had it!
“The Way of Sorrows is another name for the stations of the cross. We’re looking for scenes of Jesus on his way to the crucifixion. It’s the one on the right.”
He spun the Templar cross and the door opened on a passage that led up and curved to the left. He shone his light inside, looking for signs of danger, but finding none. Holding his breath, he moved into the passageway and followed it up into the heart of the island.
They continued on until they’d passed through six sets of doors, each juxtaposing a triumphant event of Jesus’ life with one of his road to Calvary, and every subsequent passage winding higher and higher. He wondered what lay behind the other doors, but didn’t really want to find out.
At the seventh set of doors, they faced their first real conundrum. The doors were identical. Each showed the entombment of Jesus, with seven people, four male and three female, carrying him toward the tomb, which lay in the background on the left. In the background, on the right side of the picture, stood Calvary, with its empty crosses looking down on the scene.
“Any ideas?” Bones was looking at the doors like they’d insulted his mom.
“Take a closer look,” Maddock said. “See if anything’s different.”
“Man, that’s too much like those stupid puzzles in the newspaper. I vote for the door on the right.”
“Fine. You can go first.” Maddock grinned and pushed his friend aside as he moved in for a closer look. They spent five frustrating minutes gazing at the two doors. The images seemed to meld together until he couldn’t separate them in his mind. Finally, he rubbed his eyes in frustration and backed up to look at it from a distance.
And then he saw it.
“Bones, come back here and take a look.” When Bones joined him, he pointed to the crosses atop Calvary. “What do you see?”
Bones stared blankly at the doors, and then his eyes widened. “The crosses on the right are Templar crosses. How did we miss it?” He moved forward a few steps. “You have to be in just the right place to see the subtle differences. I wonder...” He walked up to stand between the doors and rubbed an identical spot on each with the tips of his index and middle fingers.
“Bones, those aren’t boobs.”
“Check out the stone that blocks the tomb. It’s too small to see, but I can feel a cross carved in the one on the right.”
“Just like the stones that have gotten us into the treasure chambers.” Maddock nodded approvingly. “You want to do the honors?”
Bones grinned and opened the door on the right. It slid back to reveal another chamber. In its center stood a three foot tall block of stone, and protruding from its center...
“Holy crap!” Bones exclaimed.
Even though it had been what he’d expected to find, the sight of a sword embedded in a stone took Maddock’s breath away. He entered the room, feeling like he was in a dream, and stopped in front of the sword.
“Excalibur.” He spoke the word reverentially. From the moment Avery told them they’d found Arthur’s dagger, he’d known they were on a path that would lead to the legendary sword, but the reality was still more than he could comprehend. Arthur had lived, had borne this sword, and, apparently, had drawn it from a stone.
Much of the sword was buried in a three foot-high block of stone, but he could see enough of the blade to know it was made of the same metal as the spear and dagger, while the hilt was made of the same white stone that gave them their power.
“Well, who’s worthy to draw the sword?” Bones asked with a sly smile.
“You first.”
Bones reached out, took hold of the handle, and pulled. It didn’t give an inch.
“Fine,” Bones sighed. “Your turn.”
Maddock gave him a knowing look and aimed the beam of his flashlight onto the white stone hilt. Lights immediately began to swirl in its depths, reminding Maddock of a line from Tennyson’s “Morte d’Arthur.”
“And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt, for all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks.” The stone pulsed faster and faster until it finally shone with a steady light.
“Here goes nothing.” Maddock pressed the stone, and flickers of light began to dance along the flat of the blade and run up and down the fuller. The edge shone a bright blue, and the light seemed to run up one side and down the other.
He took Excalibur in his hand and pulled. The blade slid free easily. He knew he should shut it down right then and head back to the boat, but the little boy inside of him, the one that, in his youth, had daydreamed of being a Knight of the Round Table, wouldn’t let him.
“Stand back,” he told Bones. “I want to try something.” He took aim, raised the sword, and brought it down at an angle. Excalibur sheared the corner off of the stone like the proverbial hot knife through melted butter.
“Sweet! My turn.” Bones looked like a kid on Christmas morning as he sliced two more corners off the stone. Then his expression grew sober and he pressed the pommel. As the lights in the blade faded and died, he handed the sword back to Maddock. “This is serious stuff, you know.”
“I know.” Maddock had pondered the implications of their discoveries many times. The weapons might be ancient, but they represented an advanced, maybe even unearthly, technology.
“A cloaking device. A weapon that turns a little bit of light into a powerful electrical weapon. Now a sword that can cut through stone.” Bones shook his head.
“And none of them require a power supply,” Maddock added. “Just solar energy, or even a little bit of artificial light. If scientist can unlock the technology, they could do incredible things.”
“Or incredibly terrible things.” Bones rubbed his chin and stared down at the ground. “Tam’s going to want to turn them over to the government, you know.”
Maddock nodded. “Better that than the Dominion getting its hands on them.”
“I guess. Let’s take some pictures and get out of here.”
While Bones made a photographic record of the chamber, Maddock finally took the time to look around. It did not differ in any significant way from those chambers on the other side of the Atlantic: circular with Templar symbols carved in the walls, the double band of code winding down the walls, and a wedge-shaped image up above.
Maddock took a last look at the stone where Excalibur had been embedded minutes before, still amazed and intrigued by what they’d found. He stowed the sword in a bag Tam had provided, slung it over his shoulder, and began the trek back to the outside world.
Back on the surface, he radioed Tam to pick them up.
“Three down,” Bones said. “I wonder what Jimmy has come up with. This kind of feels like it should be the end of the line, you know? Arthur only had three legendary weapons.”
Before Maddock could answer, their cruiser appeared around the tip of the peninsula, and shots rang out from up above. He turned and saw that two men had taken up positions on the cliffs below Tintagel and were firing on their cruiser. Nearby, a sleek-looking boat bobbed in the surface. He and Bones had been so dizzy with success that they’d ignored what was right in front of their faces.
“Tam, get out of there now!” he barked into the radio.
“We’re coming to get you!” came her reply.
“I’ve got a plan. Just get out of range and fast!” He breathed a sigh of relief as, moments later, the cruiser turned and headed back around the peninsula.
“Are we swimming for it?” Bones asked.
“We’d never outrun them. Give me a minute.” Before Bones could ask what he had planned, he submerged and swam to the boat. He surfaced on the side opposite the gunmen, who were clambering down from the rocks. He didn’t have long.
He drew Excalibur from his pack, gave it a few seconds to absorb the sunlight, then activated the blade. He could almost feel the energy coursing through him as the edges shone with blue light. He checked to make sure the men still had their backs to him before he took his first swing. The sword sliced through the hull with ease and, moments later, he’d cut a gaping hole near the stern, just above the waterline. He covered the hole with a life jacket, knowing the ruse wouldn’t last for long, but maybe it would be enough.
He met up with Bones just as the men got into their boat and fired up their engine. The boat shot past them and, moments later, it slowed and began to sink. The men cursed in surprise and anger, the chase abandoned as they tried to plug the leak with whatever they had on hand.
Maddock smiled as he and Bones hit the water, keeping well below the surface and passing unseen beneath the foundering boat. Now, to finish the job.